Road milling machines, also known as cold planers, may be configured to scarify, remove, mix, or reclaim material from the surface of bituminous, concrete, or asphalt roadways and other surfaces using a rotatable planing tool mounted on a frame. The frame may be mounted on a plurality of tracks or wheels which support and transport the machine along the roadway surface.
Typically, cold planers may also include a plurality of lifting members positioned near the front and rear of the frame. The lifting members may be adjusted between extended and retracted positions to control the depth and shape of a cut by raising or lowering the frame and rotatable planning tool.
U.S. Publication No. 2009/0108663 (“Berning et al.”) published Apr. 30, 2009 is an example of prior art related to positioning a road milling machine relative to the surface. While Berning et al. discusses controlling the leveling of a machine with the ground, Berning does not account for the operational status of the machine while leveling. A design is needed that automatically takes into account the operational status of the machine when leveling.
It will be appreciated that this background section is created by the inventors as an aid to the reader, and is not intended as a formal discussion of art or prior art. Moreover, the observations of the inventors regarding technical problems do not indicate or imply that knowledge of such problems existed in the art.